And the winner is....

So now is the moment you've all been waiting for. The big announcement. The winner of the major award. But first, let's recap my followers' mistakes. With a little commentary in green by yours truely. Because, well, it's my blog.

julia said...
I made a pair of shorts for a little boy. Only after I had them made did i realize that I had made them way to big. I couldn't find a pattern his size so I went by his little brother's pattern and added two inches, which was the size difference according to patterns I could find. the problem was that I added the two inches to both sides of the front and the back, so really i added 8 inches!!! Hmmm, I like this, lack of basic math skills in others make me feel good. But, in the end you DID end up with a usable item – just a few years ahead of it’s time. Sor-ry.

Anonymous said...
This might be rather simplistic, but I have reversed the arms in garments several times as well as sewing the legs of pants (eg. front inseam left to front inseam right) together. I have also covered a belt buckle backwards. All in all I detest directions. LOL. Sorry, Karendee, just not stupid enough. What can I say?
Karendee

Ann said...
You know mine. It was making that clothes pin bag, getting it finished and having the embroidery upside down. You got the bag and I hope you were able to fix it and enjoy it. I still have it and haven’t changed it yet. I have a plan for it, but no laundry room yet, so no hurry. But on a scale of dumb mistakes, I like it. And not realizing it was wrong until you were done adds extra points. Plus you sent it to me, so double bonus.
Ann

julia said...
Does sewing through my thumb, nail and all with my sewing machine count? I mean the needle was actually all the way through my thumb. It came out of the machine and stayed in my thumb. It hurt like …. While I will give you point for pain and blood (it DID bleed, right?), this is about dumb mistakes – not clutsyness. But thanks for playing.

ACorgiHouse said...
OK, you don't need to send me anything (assuming I'll win :) ) but here goes. I was using my patternmaking software to make some pants. I had remeasured myself for some reason, and transposed the waist to crotch seam measurement with the inseam length. I trusted the software so much, and wasn't really paying attention when I made the first pair (luckily jammies.) They had a crotch that hung to the knees, and really short legs, looked like Humpty-Dumpty! Okay, that’s just funny.

Marji said...
LOL, oh BeeBee, only if I win I get to send YOU something. Don't you dare think about sending me Anything!
I was making the dresses for myself and my sister to wear in my moms (3rd) wedding. These dresses were shantung overlaid with a metallic embroidered organza. They were both sleeveless, and I was using the method of finishing that requires you to put the front inside the back, stitch the seams together at the shoulder and then, when you pull it out, voila, your shoulders are finished, all by machine and it's beautiful. But, if you put one shoulder in through the front, and the other through the back, you get a figure 8. I did that on my dress. Not once, not twice, But Three times. I was running out of seam allowance to rip. Extra points for sheer stubbornness. And a double bonus for turning the contest around and offering to send me stuff. And I like the whole figure 8 thing….

Stash said...
OK, well, twice, I have searched all over for the back bodice piece to a Jalie shirt I was making. I mean ripping the house apart...even to turning the cushions over on the couch...under the bed.....in the garbage. Only to find, after all the angst and hours of looking that they were already sewn to the front at the shoulders. **Snort** I’ve done that. Really annoying isn’t it?

Barbara said...
Oh, yes, the worst thing I've ever done was attaching the front to the back and constructing welted pockets WITHOUT the front side panels! The next day I ripped the mess and fortunately had enough fabric to cut again the back side panels. Not enough for the front pieces, though. The jacket ended up having no pockets but a decorative strip of fabric running across the front that covered the slits. I'm not eligible for the contest but had to share anyway! Thank you! Well, you get some bonus points for even attempting the pockets. Why do you think you aren't eligible? You didn't win, but you get to play..

gwensews said...
I was making a blouse that had gathers at the hemline of the sleeve. I sewed that into the armscye. He-he, I like this one. Just keep on sewing – no matter how wrong it feels.

LindaNan said...
I did an absolutely perfect invisible zipper -- upside down. Yes, LindaNan YOU are the “lucky” winner. I think (because there is no real basis for the winner) it’s because it’s a zipper mistake. And this started with a zipper.

Thank you all for playing and sharing your mistakes and making me feel less alone in my dumb-ness. It wasn’t so much that the zipper turned out badly – that’s happened many times before, but that I didn’t notice until I was all the way done, even the top stitching. Eh, whatever. LindaNan – you can send me an email at ecbryant2002 at yahoo dot com to claim your major award. You may regret playing….

House Cleaning.

No, not that kind. I avoid it like the plague. Just tidying up a few loose ends.

The major awards went out in today's mail. Enjoy. And if the shorts make your butt look big, blame Vogue. They made mine look my grandpa's.

karent: you're obviously cooking up something. And it smells quilty.

I put the zipper in the pants last night while O'bama assured us that he has the situation under control and that this is tough on all of us. I feel better now (about the zipper, not the state of the Union). Seriously, kbenco, I think the pants are taking longer than the quilt. I need a weekend.

Our anniversary is tomorrow, so we'll be dining out tomorrow night. And it doesn't appear that I will have new pants to wear for the occasion. Well, I could stop at NY & Co. on my way home.

A little football talk is in order. For years we've been saying "Go Vols", well now it's time to say "Come Back, Vols!" We're a fickle bunch. Or, as we said in Detroit: "Go Lions! And take the Tigers with you!" A new coach, a new class, a new season. Here's hoping!

Well, I apparently dislike housekeeping, even without a mop. So until next thyme.

Prizes and Dog Beds

First I want to clearly state that the dog beds are NOT available as a prize. Just want to be clear on that, as I know they would be first pick and Kacy wouldn't like that. But on my day off I made 2 new bed covers for the dog. Yes, I know, I sew for my dog. Bleck.

Now for the real prizes. Wendy and Brooke have their choice from any of the below items. The Threads is #98 Jan 2002, Sewing News is Feb/Mar 2009. The Burda patterns are pretty 1980's. In fact, I'm pretty sure Bea Arthur used 5976, but you might like some of the details. In fact, if you want all 4, they're yours. Otherwise its just sucky. (I warned you). You're not seeing double, there are 2 of V8085. Sizes 6-8-10 is new and uncut. Sizes 12-14-16 is cut but all there (pretty sure, I'm good about that). M 5391 sizes 4-12 has been cut and same conditions apply. M5519 is sizes SX, S, M and is new and uncut. V8365 is sized 6-12, new and uncut. V1041 is new and uncut. That's the list, for now. Except for the Burda patterns, these are just "not me" purchases. The shorts are all too low slung for my BurdaButt, I ended up 2 of the Anne Klein pattern, and the dress just isn't something I would wear. The Burda was a bad Ebay purchase. The mags are duplicates.

And Wendy, you're welcome to use the BB name. Maybe we should start a club? Leave those Vogue behinds behind. I haven't tried the Oct Special, mainly because it didn't have a waist band, but I have some brown twill I just washed up, so I may give it a shot.

And my final shot is my quilt. I'm about 1/2 done with piecing it. All in all, for a first attempt and no instructions directions or clues, I'm darn pleased. Funny, I bought an embroidery machine and the first thing I do with it is make a quilt. Oh well. It happens.

And the winner is:

Drum roll, please...... WENDY! And yes, Brooke, you answered the (secret) bonus question of what BeeBee truly means.
I will post your choices of (mostly) sucky prizes tonight. In the event that you both want the same (sucky) prize, Wendy gets first pick. So chose 2. I'll put my email on for youse twose to tell me where you want your (sucky) prize sent.
Actually this is early in my decluttering so not all items suck - yet.
Now, do I win a prize for the blog entry using the word "Suck" the most times? And will the prize suck?

And the nominee's are...

A Corgi House nominated me for the Sisterhood award. And like all meaningful awards it comes with both its honors and its responsibilities. Well, the honors are self-explanatory. The responsibilities are as follows:
Place the award logo on your blog. DONE
Nominate 10 other blogs which show "Attitude and/or Gratitude" See Below
Link to the nominees on your blog post. Ditto
Comment on their blog that you have nominated them. Will do
Share the love and link to the person who nominated you. Yep, see above.

So here are my nominees and their links. Some of these are a little different than our usual circle, but I like them and feel a kinship with them.

1. Because i said sew - a fellow Northern Virginian who doesn't get to sew as much as she'd like, but I need to meet her at G Street sometime.
2. The Paraplegic Chef - because she takes great pictures and yummy foods.
3. Where in the World am I - where I need to sit down and read her great adventure.
4. A little sewing on the side - who helped me get my next newest machine. Thanks Robin.
5. Slapdash Sewist - Cause I love her since of style and fearlessness
6. Larson's Journey - A brave girl who does some awesome wheelies. But probably doesn't care about sewing.
7. The Last Stitch - I love her stuff!
8. Melodye - I met her IRL and love the lists!
9. The Hem Line - who likely has no clue who I am, but has cool patterns.
1o. Sew Classic - who loves the vintage and brings them back to life.

Whew! That was a lot harder than I though. My computer didn't want to cooperate at all with the links. Anyway, the responsibilities are over and I can now bask in the glow and go to sleep.

My first Award...

My BFF nominated me for the sisterhood award. Thank you! This is my first blog award and I really like this one. I'm happy to be part of a sisterhood, a group of (mostly) women who feel a common bond across oceans, continents, age, race and family situations. I will nominate the next 10 tomorrow. I'm tired tonight and want to nominate those who haven't already been tagged.
We drove up to Philly today and walked around the historic district. It was ok. The weather was great, though it's been so cold that all the sidewalks were damp with condensation, even dripping in places. We didn't stick around for the Liberty Hall tour - we couldn't get in until 4 and that would have made us too late getting home. Didn't want the dog to explode. My favorite was Ben Franklin's grave (yeah, I know that's weird) and steak sandwiches.
I made another Jalie T yesterday. Not so wild about this one. The fabric is a soft yellow - a little "little girlish" for my taste and my machine didn't gel with this fabric as much. It's a soft knit from (yes, you guessed it) G Street THE WALL. It wanted to stretch the fabric, so the neck and arm bindings kind of curled up and the seams aren't very straight. Too much pressure on the foot, I think. Don't get me wrong, I've purchased worse, but it's not as nice as the one last weekend. Oh, but I did solve the mystery of the neckband - I'd traced out the wrong piece. There are 3 views with 3 neck bands and I'd cut the one for the cami, duh, no wonder it was so large. That was a quick fix and start to finish was about 1.5 hours. This was some fabric from my stash and I still have a ton of it.
Speaking of having a ton of it, I'm thinking of getting rid of it. Any one interested for postage? (Sorry, US only) I'll put up a picture tomorrow. It would be nice for a little girl or baby, it's just not me and I think I have about another 2 yards or so. "What was I thinking"? I also have a lot of a mossy green knit purchased on the same shopping trip that, again, just isn't me. Again, I'll post some pictures either tomorrow or Monday. My son's still in town so I'm a little busy and don't want to drag the stuff out.